Hi,
I'd like to reduce the chances of me getting rear-ended in traffic. I'm contemplating installing a 3rd high mounted brake light on my w108. I've already swapped out the 2 bulbs with brighter LEDs. I did a search and I can't find any useful info on w108s. Has anyone done this?

Specifically, is there an MB part from a w126 or w124 etc that can be retrofitted? Has anyone used any aftermarket kits? I'd prefer something that's flush against the glass so that I don't have to look at my own brake light's glare...

Thanks,
Narayan

I did something similar with my W114. I bought a generic LED third brake lamp and wired it into the brake light circuit.

What I did on my non-MB is to get a LED strip from Harbor Freight and made metal brackets to clip it to the rubber rear window molding, at the very top. It's real thin, so it's not very noticeable, but they are very bright.

Csaba

i remember seeing a magnetic one that you can mount above the license plate; sorry i'd have to find the link for it

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1983 300SD (daily driver)
1991 420SEL (work in progress)
1979 300SD (future replacement for 83 SD)

RIP:
1983 300SD (totalled)
1986 420SEL

I'd wonder how effective it would be down by the license plate. The typical soccer mom tooling along in her 285hp minivan is likely barely aware enough to notice a modern car's CHMSL, and likely would miss one that low.

That said, if there's any bulb to replace quickly, it would be on that brake light, precisely because so many in attentive drivers are only looking at it, and virtually oblivious of the others, imho.

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Looking for Early 108 windshield surround wood in decent-to-good condition.

There are plenty of generic CHMSL's (Center High Mount Stop Light) you can get to retrofit. Just hunt around to find an OEM looking one. They weren't required until 1986, so no "vintage" ones exist. Otherwise you can get the horrendous 3' bumper LED strips I keep seeing on trucks!

One could stay in the family and use the trunk wart from the last years of the 107...

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Looking for Early 108 windshield surround wood in decent-to-good condition.

I want a stock looking one that I can mount on the rear shelf up against the rear glass. Looking at the rear window angle, I may need one from a wagon, as most SUVs have an almost vertical rear window and sedans have too much slope. I'm thinking something like a C240 wagon may have the correct angle.

Hella makes them in three (rear window) angles: Products - Hella)

These likely look OE enough, if technically too modern.

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Looking for Early 108 windshield surround wood in decent-to-good condition.

Great info, Thanks.

This also has some options. Susquehanna MotorSports - Auto Performance Products Catalog

Side comment brought about by these third brake lights:
Incredible to think back to when these first started appearing--that was a quarter of a century ago!

I'm going to start making a rough count of how many pre-CHMSL cars from each maker I see on the road during my to and fro. I bet it is mostly MB, Porsche, VW bugs and due to sheer gross numbers, American post-malaise pickups*.

For all their current cachet, there aren't hardly any pre-87 Audis, BMWs or whatever on our roads. Not even a single Lexus; imagine that!

(* considering even post-87, that most pickups were exempt from needing one due to "not being classified as a "car" or passenger vehicle")

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Looking for Early 108 windshield surround wood in decent-to-good condition.

I swapped out my 108's taillight bulbs for LED equivalents, I think they are brighter to those driving behind me.

Not all LED equivalents are good. Some only throw light toward the back, and will only be bright if viewed exactly from behind. Even at a slight angle, they will look very dim. For older cars that have reflectors in the taillighs, get LED bulbs that also have LEDS on the perimeter shining light to the side (onto the reflector).

+1

Something like this multi-LED bulb: 1156 LED Bulb - Single Intensity 45 SMD LED Tower | LED Brake Light, Turn Light and Tail Light Bulbs | LED Car Bulbs | Super Bright LEDs

And bear in mind that the LED bulb color should match the lens color, ie: use red LEDs for brake lights and amber LEDs if you have amber turn signal lenses (obviously use red LEDs if you have red turn lenses). That's to maximize the light that passes through the lens. A white LED is putting out a certain amount of light, all across the spectrum (to make white), but the the lens is filtering out most of it other than the red (or amber) wavelengths--may as well use appropriately colored LEDs so that all of the light output goes through the lens.

That's just as important as vandor's info on the LED orientation... maybe.

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Looking for Early 108 windshield surround wood in decent-to-good condition.

Most modern cars have rear windows that have more slope than a w108. I lined my w108 next to an E30 BMW and the rear windows seemed to have about the same angle. So, I got an E30 brake light off of ebay. I'll update this thread after I receive it and have a chance to test fit it.